Home > 60 Minutes Gives Obama Yet Another Platform, At Least Challenges Him a Bit

60 Minutes Gives Obama Yet Another Platform, At Least Challenges Him a Bit

By

Brent Baker

September 13, 2009 - 10:03pm

60 Minutes on Sunday night gave President Barack Obama at least his
fourth interview platform since his election (not counting re-runs),
and while Steve Kroft framed the segment around how Obama "seemed confident that he had succeeded" in his Wednesday night speech and asked him, in the context of
how the health care debate "has brought out the worst in us," how "you
were heckled. Not at a town meeting. Not on the campaign trail, but in
a joint session of Congress," whether "Congressman Wilson should be
rebuked?," he also gently challenged Obama from the right.
Unfortunately, Kroft did not follow up when Obama delivered his usual
liberal platitudes.

After Obama touted how he had reached out to Republicans on tort
reform, Kroft pressed: "Would you be willing to do more in the area of
tort reform and malpractice insurance? Would you be willing to agree to
caps, for example, on malpractice judgments?" Kroft raised how to pay
for it all: "There is still a great deal of skepticism about how this
plan is going to be paid for. What you promised is essentially you
promised not to affect anybody who has coverage now at all. You have
promised to add another 30 million people into the system and you're
saying that you can do all of this or want to do all this without
impacting or increasing the deficit by a dime. How do you do that?"

Obama's uncontested reply:

Well, here's how we do it. We spend over $2 trillion on
healthcare every year. So we spend more per person on healthcare in
this country than any other country by far. So if we can just make some
small changes that make the system more efficient, the waste and abuse,
the money that's already being spent that's not making people
healthier, that money can go to provide a better deal for those without
insurance. And, over time, can actually reduce the cost for those who
already have health insurance.

To which, all Kroft observed was that "there are thousands of
details to be worked out, not to mention dozens of political deals,
making it nearly impossible to accurately predict how much all of this
might cost."

To Obama's consternation, Kroft reminded the President: "You ran for
this job saying that you were not a big spending liberal, and that you
were definitely under no circumstances a socialist. [Obama laughs] And
I know that you inherited a unique set of circumstances. But in nine
months, you've in effect nationalized two automobile companies,
sections of the banking industry."

Obama cut Kroft off with "Ah, wait a minute" and "hold on, time out a second."

This past week was a crucial one in the young
presidency of Barack Obama. With public support for health care reform
and his administration in decline, the President decided to regain
control over the debate with a speech before a joint session of
Congress. With concessions to intransigent Republicans, reinforcement
for wavering Democrats, and even a few specifics for skeptical
citizens, the President hoped to resuscitate plans for an overhaul of
the medical system. And when we spoke with him on Friday at the White
House he seemed confident that he had succeeded.

All of Kroft's questions aired in the interview which led the September 13 edition of 60 Minutes:

-
Before you made this speech there was a sense, clearly in the press and
among people in Washington, that this program was in trouble. Do you
think you changed some minds? Do you think you picked up some votes
this week?

- You're not getting much support from the Republicans and you've
got some problems with people in your own party. Do you have enough
votes to get a healthcare bill passed right now?

- One of the things that you said when you ran for President was
that one of your talents was to be able to get people in a room with
divergent opinions who were yelling and screaming at each other, get
them to sit down and come to an agreement. Have you tried that on
healthcare?...Why hasn't it worked?

- If it came down to getting this plan passed, would you be willing
to do more in the area of tort reform and malpractice insurance? Would
you be willing to agree to caps, for example, on malpractice judgments?

- And the conventional wisdom has been that the reason that the
House has always voted against any kind of malpractice reform or tort
reform was because of the heavy contributions from the trial lawyers.

- There is still a great deal of skepticism about how this plan is
going to be paid for. What you promised is essentially you promised not
to affect anybody who has coverage now at all. You have promised to add
another 30 million people into the system and you're saying that you
can do all of this or want to do all this without impacting or
increasing the deficit by a dime. How do you do that?

- You ran for this job saying that you were not a big spending
liberal, and that you were definitely under no circumstances a
socialist. [Obama laughs] And I know that you inherited a unique set of
circumstances. But in nine months, you've in effect nationalized two
automobile companies, sections of the banking industry-

- But after doing all this, and continuing the policies, and
spending incredible amounts of money, now you're changing the health
care system. I get the sense out there politically that some people are
just sort of worn out. I mean, there's been so much change. And so much
that people have sort of, that people are fatigued. And that you have
to do all of this.

- You were - people ask you this question - "Do we need to do all
of this? Can't we scale some of this back?" And you could've said,
"Yeah, let's scale it back." But you didn't.

- I was talking to my CBS colleague, Bob Schieffer this morning. And
we were talking about 9/11 and he the sense of unity he felt in the
country on that day, and was comparing that to the situation we have
now. When you were, I mean, you were heckled. Not at a town meeting.
Not on the campaign trail, but in a joint session of Congress. Were you
surprised?

- Do you think that Congressman Wilson should be rebuked? There was
talk about that today, and now he's claiming that he is a victim. That
he's being attacked.

- I think Bob Schieffer's point was that, I think he thought that in
some ways, this debate has brought out the worst in us. Not the best.

- So, your goal to bring civility back to Washington is still a work in progress?

- Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center

Federal employees and military personnel can donate to the Media Research Center through the Combined Federal Campaign or CFC. To donate to the MRC, use CFC #12489. Visit the CFC website for more information about giving opportunities in your workplace.